France and Germany offer to supply Argentina submarines amid Falklands threat as Andy Burnham seeks Brexit reset

France and Germany's top defence firms are offering Argentina a fearsome new submarine fleet as Andy Burnham seeks closer ties with the European Union.

Downing Street has been warned a lethal upgrade to President Javier Milei's navy could be a “game changer” for Britain's ability to protect the Falkland Islands from future Argentinian aggression.

The damning revelation comes after the Prime Minister pledged to “bring the UK closer to Europe” following a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this month.

The Labour leader visited Berlin to ratify the 2025 Kensington Treaty — a sweeping security pact designed to deepen both nations’ relationship against hostile powers.

During the trip to the German capital, Mr Burnham confirmed he was open to Germany joining the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) — an initiative between Britain, Italy and Japan to develop a cutting-edge new fighter jet.

Mr Burnham also told the Commons last week it would be a “dereliction of duty” to turn down a closer relationship with Brussels ahead of a summit with the bloc next month.

Meanwhile, Argentina continues an aggressive posture toward the Falklands, with Mr Milei warning the United Nations General Assembly in New York his nation could be forced to “take matters into our own hands”.

As he demanded control of the British territory, the Argentine leader stressed he did not “believe in military solutions” to serve his country’s “national cause”.

President Javier Milei with Argentine navy offciers and other military officers

Nevertheless, Mr Milei has overseen significant military expansion since coming to power, including the recent delivery of 12 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from Denmark, with another 12 planes set to be shipped in 2028.

Earlier this month, Argentina’s top military chief said Buenos Aires was seeking to acquire three new hunter-killer submarines for its navy.

Admiral Marcelo Dalle Nogare, Chief of the Joint Staff of Argentina’s Armed Forces, revealed Germany and France had both stepped forward to provide the boats.

“Whichever of the two options we choose, they are among the best submarines in the world today,” he told the Rotary Club of Buenos Aires on October 7.

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The competing bids are from France’s Naval Group, which has proposed its Scorpène submarines, and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which is offering its Type 209NG design.

According to Admiral Dalle Nogare, Paris and Berlin had offered to finance the submarine deal in full, with Buenos Aires repaying in instalments.

Neither government has publicly confirmed the reported financing arrangements. GB News can confirm TKMS has submitted an offer to Buenos Aires “based on the Argentine Navy’s requirements”.

The Kiel-based company told the People’s Channel it had not yet received any official communication from the Argentinian government, but added: “A decision in principle regarding the implementation of the programme is expected to be made in 2026."

Argentina has a history of operating German-built Type 209 submarines, including the ARA Salta and ARA San Luis, acquired in the 1970s.

During the 1982 Falklands War, San Luis patrolled and launched torpedo attacks against British warships but scored no hits. Despite technical faults, it evaded British anti-submarine forces and remained in service until 1997.

Admiral Dalle Nogare informed the Rotary Club the “final decision will ultimately be a geopolitical one, based on interests and, above all, financing” and expected the boats to be delivered six years after the contract is signed.

France’s Naval Group and Germany’s TKMS are central to their respective nations' defence industries, exporting submarines and other hardware worldwide. TKMS’s British subsidiary, Atlas UK, provides submersible countermeasures to the Royal Navy.

The French state currently holds a controlling majority stake in Naval Group, owning 62.25 per cent of the company's shares at the end of 2024.

Although Germany's government does not own TKMS, it retains a central role in deciding whether to export German-made military equipment.

As such, a deal to supply Argentina with three advanced submarines would require authorisation from the relevant government.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which plays a central role in Germany's arms-export licensing system, declined to comment on any government guarantees or financial arrangements with Argentina.

While discussing the proposed submarine acquisition, Admiral Dalle Nogare made an ominous prediction about the Falkland Islands, according to Argentinian publication El Cronista.

“I’ve always said that I believe the Falklands will eventually be recovered on the day it is no longer economically feasible for the United Kingdom to maintain them,” he claimed.

The potential deal to bolster Argentina’s fleet with three advanced European submarines sparked major concern and calls for the UK Government to act.

“It is shocking that France and Germany – two of our supposed closest allies – are considering financing three new ‘hunter-killer’ submarines for Argentina,” Reform UK MP Andrew Rossindell told Britain's News Channel.

Admiral Marcelo Alejandro Dalle Nogare and other officers

He accused Britain’s European partners of “rewarding threats of aggression, changing the balance of power in the South Atlantic, and undermining the security of the Falkland Islands”.

“The Government should summon the ambassadors of France and Germany, and demand a full account of their actions,” demanded Mr Rossindell, who previously served on the Nato parliamentary assembly UK delegation.

Mr Rossindell lodged a written question to the Ministry of Defence on the topic. The backbencher received what he described as a “non-answer” and “politicking” from ministers.

Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones replied the UK “regularly engages with our French and German allies on a range of issues”.

“The Ministry of Defence is committed to maintaining a defensive military presence in the South Atlantic to ensure the protection of the Falkland Islands,” she added.

Robert Midgley, a spokesman for the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, fumed: “The potential rearming of Argentina by Nato allies is a diplomatic failure of the British state.

“The UK Government has allowed the threat to the Falkland Islands to grow. For the past year, diplomatic staff across South America have sounded the alarm over Argentine lobbying efforts to gain allies to rally against the Falkland Islands.

“The fact is, the UK has failed to protect our Overseas Territories; the Armed Forces are spread thin and unable to react to threats at pace.

“As ever, self-determination comes first, and the population of the Falklands have repeatedly voted against any transfer of sovereignty, which should be respected.”

Former Army officer Henry Bolton warned Britain’s eroded domestic defence capabilities meant it lacked the leverage to caution allies against making such deals with hostile countries.

“We're so reliant on other nations getting involved (in our defence), including the Germans, that we can't afford to pull the plug (on a potential deal)," he argued.

The former UK Independence Party leader added if European allies supplied Buenos Aires with submarines, it would represent “a step up in terms of acting against our interests”.

“Culturally and historically for the UK, French naval sales to Argentina carry heavy resonance,” former naval officer Stuart Fawcett commented.

“Most notably, the Exocet missile strikes that sank HMS Sheffield and SS Atlantic Conveyor, contributing to 46 British deaths (in 1982).

“That history looms large in public memory as we attempt to build a modernised bilateral relationship."

Mr Midgley also claimed adding three new submarines to Argentina’s fleet could quickly change the security dynamic in the South Atlantic.

“The current defences of the Falkland Islands are much more advanced than the current Argentine threat and capable of repelling it, but if Argentina continues to re-arm and develop, then it may outpace and have the ability to overwhelm the current British forces on the Falklands,” he said.

A robust British defence force is currently stationed on the Falklands, including a squadron of Typhoon combat jets, refuelling tankers and cargo aircraft.

Around 1,500 military personnel are stationed on the Falklands, supported by Typhoon fighter jets, ground-based air defences and the Royal Navy's permanent South Atlantic patrol vessel, HMS Medway.

Earlier this month, a senior defence source told GB News the UK could defend and reinforce the Falklands against Argentine aggression.

“We are in a position where, with the benefit of some of the other overseas territories in the South Atlantic, not least Ascension Island, we would be able to reinforce through there if we had to, in much the same way Ascension was used in 1982,” they said.

However, defence experts have warned these defences are primarily focused on countering air and surface threats.

They argued three high-tech European-made Argentinian submarines could fundamentally alter Britain’s approach to protecting the Falklands.

Mr Bolton hinted Germany’s Type 209NG submarines could effectively hide in an ambush position and strike a critical blow against British ships in a hypothetical conflict with Buenos Aires.

Argentine submarines on the ARA San Juan

“If the angle was right and it positioned itself correctly, we wouldn't know about it until it hit something of ours... The first we'd know of it is a torpedo heading for the Queen Elizabeth,” he speculated, referencing one of the Royal Navy’s two flagship aircraft carriers.

Mr Bolton explained the UK could feasibly detect and destroy submarines like the Type 209NG in such a scenario, yet doing so would require “cost and resources that we frankly don't have”.

“For the UK, this means monitoring these three boats 24/7, 365 days a year. Not only to know where they are, but to track them once they've gone under the surface," Mr Fawcett concurred.

“From a naval operational perspective, ocean and subsea surveillance capabilities would become a strategic necessity in the South Atlantic."

Mr Bolton argued the “game-changing” threat posed by a new Argentine submarine fleet meant the UK would need measures similar to those used to contain Russian incursions in the High North.

The MoD launched Atlantic Bastion in 2025, a hybrid naval and undersea-warfare programme to protect the UK from Moscow’s increased submarine and spy-vessel activity.

However, the Commons Defence Committee reported this week “glaring gaps” existed in Britain’s ability to protect the High North, with a “shockingly low availability” of countermeasures against Russian aggression.

“Our focus should (be) Nato's northern flank and ideally not the Falklands," Mr Bolton said. "So it's a distraction from all that."

To that end, he suggested the Argentinians were making a “fairly sensible calculation from their point of view”.

Mr Bolton said spiralling costs to defend the Falklands would “erode the political will to resist Argentina diplomatically”.

Even so, Mr Bolton detailed the Argentinian Navy would need years of training, maintenance and infrastructure construction before it could field a new submarine fleet.

Mr Fawcett provided an alternate view on the potential acquisition, saying: “(It) cannot be viewed purely through the lens of the Falklands conflict. Nobody wants a repeat of 1982.

“We need to assess how the West engages with emerging democratic powers in the Global South. Bringing them into the broader Western democratic alignment helps foster regional stability.

“Argentina, alongside Brazil and Chile, occupies a key role in regional stability, particularly as China seeks to expand its influence over South American maritime trade routes and infrastructure.

“Ultimately, if Argentina moves forward with modernising its naval force, any enabling US support or Western financial underwriting will almost certainly come attached to firm diplomatic assurances, security clauses, and non-aggression commitments regarding the Falkland Islands."

Addressing Argentina’s potential new European submarine fleet, a Government spokesman said: “The Secretary of State and the wider Ministry of Defence regularly engage with our French and German allies on a range of issues.

“The Ministry of Defence is committed to maintaining a defensive military presence in the South Atlantic to ensure the protection of the Falkland Islands.

“Our defences in the South Atlantic are robust, consisting of air, land, and maritime forces with a strong permanent presence on the Falkland Islands."

They added the suitability of the military presence on the Falklands is “under constant review".

GB News has approached Naval Group, the French Government, the Argentine embassy, and its defence attaché in London for comment.

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